CROATIA'S MESIC, PICULA HOLD TALKS WITH UN'S ANNAN, HOLKERI

NEW YORK, Nov 17 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stipe Mesic and Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on Friday held talks with UN's Secretary-General Kofi Annan and General Assembly chairman Harry Holkeri. The talks, held in New York, addressed succession to the former Yugoslav federation, resolving security issues on Prevlaka, and the Nov. 24 Zagreb Summit.#L# Speaking about Prevlaka, Croatia's southern-most tip bordering on Montenegro, President Mesic told Hina Croatia and Montenegro had been trying to make a concrete contribution to the normalisation of relations for several years. Authorities in Zagreb and Prevlaka are willing to demilitarise the entire peninsula and want to use both sides of the border for tourism, which will help the local population, he said. Mesic was hopeful recent "changes in Belgrade will make it possible to successfully complete dialogue on a final solution to the security issue of Prevlaka." He said the pace of democratisation in Serbia would strongly affect the solving of all other open issues, and was sure "the international community, and the EU especially, will support this course of events." The Croatian president acquainted the two United Nations officials with preparations for the Zagreb Summit, saying it was "the most important international event Croatia has hosted to date" and the first time a EU statesmen summit was being held in a non-EU state. "It is an opportunity for Croatia's messages to reach Europe's leading statesmen, as well as for EU messages to dissuade unbelievers from reforming an entity which cannot be reformed and which has no integrative factors which would re-establish it," said Mesic. "Croatia may expect further assistance for the recovery and flourishing of its economy. The principle of individual approach to the EU for each country wanting to become a member of this association will certainly be reaffirmed as well," he added. Mesic invited Secretary-General Annan to visit Croatia. (hina) ha